Fitbit's many achievements in its field has, to some extent, turned the brand name into something of a household term for wrist-worn fitness trackers. However, the concept of the fitness tracker itself is losing a bit of steam as smartwatches have now become affordable enough to make these smaller, fitness-focused bands somewhat obsolete. However, for fitness enthusiasts, a dedicated tracker that fits in their budget is still a worthwhile proposition. Fitbit continues to work towards winning over this demographic, thanks to its combination of traditional hardware and ever-improving software.
Fitbit Versa 4 design and specifications
Fitness trackers and bands once followed a distinct look, characterised by basic, narrow screens and a generally compact form factor. However, the preference towards large screens on wearables have seen modern fitness-focused wearables more closely resemble smartwatches, and this is the aesthetic that the Fitbit Versa 4 goes for. It has a square AMOLED screen which dominates the front, an aluminium casing with a matte finish, and a single button on the right side of the device.
While the premium segment is now largely dominated by smartwatches with decent health-tracking capabilities, Fitbit remains dedicated to the idea of a smarter and better fitness tracker. The Fitbit Versa 4 is priced at Rs. 20,499 in India and promises a smartwatch-like experience, but does not shy away from its fitness-first credentials.
Fitbit Versa 4 software, interface, and app
Many popular wearables are OS or platform-specific, and Fitbit's acquisition by Google has led many to believe that the device and app requires an Android phone to work, or works better on Android. This isn't really the case though; the Fitbit app works on both Android and iOS and Fitbit remains device agnostic in this regard. I primarily used the Versa 4 with an iPhone for much of this review, and all app-based functionality worked as expected.
The Fitbit app handles the connection between the Versa 4 and the paired smartphone, and also synchronises with the tracker to collect and analyse data. This itself isn't special — every smartwatch and fitness tracker does this — but where Fitbit truly sets itself apart is in the quality of its analysis of the data. The app generates detailed graphs and statistics based on the data the Versa 4 collects, including various data sets that come as part of the Premium subscription.
Fitbit Versa 4 performance and battery life
Practically every smartwatch, regardless of price, can serve as a fitness tracker, although the accuracy and quality of the analysis of data collected varies. Where the Fitbit Versa 4 hopes to set itself apart is in its focus on fitness tracking. There are some smartwatch functions such as the ability to take calls on your wrist and view notifications from the paired smartphone, but the Versa 4 is, above all else, a fitness tracker at its core.
The core data collection by the Fitbit Versa 4 is largely similar to what most fitness trackers provide, and accuracy is reasonably good as well. The tracker has the ability to store up to seven days of detailed motion data on device, which will be retained until the device is synchronised with the app on your smartphone. Daily totals can be stored for up to 30 days on device.
Step tracking on the Fitbit Versa 4 was decent enough in our 1,000-step test. The device measured 1,020 steps where I manually counted 1,000 steps while walking at a moderate pace — an acceptable error margin of two percent. At a brisk pace, the Versa 4 slightly undercounted steps, with a similar error margin of around two percent. Satellite location tracking on the Fitbit Versa 4 worked well for outdoor exercises, with the device measuring 1.01km for a distance stated by Google Maps to be 1km, during an outdoor walk.
Heart rate tracking takes place every five seconds ordinarily, and once per second during an exercise routine, with these readings affecting the measurement of ‘Zone' minutes. While resting and sleep heart rate tracking was fine, I found exercise and major activity heart rate tracking on the Fitbit Versa 4 to be a bit unreliable, thereby affecting accurate measurement of ‘Zone' minutes and other parameters.